Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: ACTS #28 - 17:1-15)
D. 17:1-15 CONTRAST IN RECEPTION OF WORD
1. 17:1-9 PERSECUTION BECAUSE OF WORD IN THESSALONICA
a. 17:1-3 PROOFS THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH
Di-oDEUsan-tes [1353] de ten AmPHIpo-lin kai ten A-pol-loNIan,
Now when they had passed through :Amphipolis and :Apollonia,
ELthon eis Thes-sa-loNIken, HOpou en su-na-goGEton IouDAIon:
they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
kaTA de to ei-oTHOS [1486]to PAUlo, eiSELthen pros auTOUS,
2 and :Paul, as his :custom was, went in unto them,
kai ePI SABba-ta TRIa di-eLExa-to [1256] auTOIS aPO ton graPHON [1124],
and for three sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures,
di-aNOIgon [1272]kai pa-ra-tiTHEme-nos [3908]HOti ton ChrisTON Edei paTHEIN [3958],
3opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer,
kai a-naSTEnai [450]ek neKRON;
and to rise from thedead;
kai HOti HOU-TOS es-tin ho ChrisTOS, ho IeSOUS, hon eGO ka-tagGELlo[2605]huMIN.
and that this :Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.
b. 17:4 FIRST RESULTS IN THESSALONICA
KAI ti-nes ex auTON ePEISthe-san [3982], kai pro-se-kleROthe-san [4345]to PAUlokai to SIla;
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with :Paul and :Silas;
ton te se-boMEnon [4576]HelLEnon PLEthos poLU, gu-naiKON te ton PROton ouk oLIgai.
and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not afew.
c. 17:5 JEALOUSY OF THE JEWS
ZeLOsan-tes [2206]de hoi IouDAIos, kai pros-laBOme-noi [4355]ton a-goRAIon tiNAS ANdras po-neROUS,
But the Jews, moved with jealousy, took unto themcertain vile men of the rabble,
kai och-lo-poiEsan-tes [4792], e-thoRUboun [2350]ten POlin; kai e-piSTANtes teoiKIa IAso-nos,
and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason,
eZEtoun auTOUS pros-gaGEIN [4317]eis ton DEmon [1218].
they sought to bring them forth to the people.
d. 17:6-7 TESTIMONY: PAUL'S TEAM TURNS WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
meheuRONtes de auTOUS, Esu-ron [4951]ton IAso-na KAI ti-nas a-delPHOUS ePI tous po-liTARchas,
And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the city rulers,
boONtes [994][HOti], Hoi ten oi-kouMEnen [3625]a-na-staTOsan-tes [387]
crying [that], These that have turned the world
HOUtoi kai enTHAde PArei-sin; hous hu-poDEdek-tai IAson:
upside down are come here also; 7whom Jason has received:
kai HOUtoi PANtes aPEnan-ti [561] ton dogMAton [1378]KAIsa-ros PRATtou-si [4128],
and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar,
ba-siLEa HEte-ron LEgon-tes EInai, IeSOUN.
saying that thereis another king, Jesus.
e. 17:8 And they troubled the crowd and the city rulers, when they heard these things.
eTAra-xan [5015] de ton OCHlon kai tous po-liTARchas, aKOUson-tas TAUta.
f. 17:9 And when they had taken :security from :Jason and the rest, they let them go.
kai laBONtes to hi-kaNON [2425] paRA tou IAso-nos kai ton loiPON, aPElu-san auTOUS.
2. 17:10-15 EXAMINATION OF GOSPEL CLAIMS IN BEREA
a. 17:10 SAUL'S TEAM BROUGHT BY NIGHT TO BEREA
Hoi de a-delPHOI euTHEos diA nukTOS eXEpem-psan ton de PAUlon kai ton SIlan
And the brethren immediately sent away both :Paul and :Silas
eis BEroi-an: HOti-nes pa-ra-geNOme-noi [3854] eis ten su-na-goGEN ton IouDAIon aPEe-san.
.went into the synagogue of the Jews.
b. 17:11 EFFECTS OF ATTENTION TO THE GOSPEL
HOUtoi de Esan eu-geNEste-roi [2104]ton en Thes-sa-loNIke,
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
HOIti-nes eDExan-to ton LOgon meTA PAses pro-thuMIas [4288],
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
to kath' heMEran a-naKRInon-tes [350]tas graPHAS, ei Echoi TAUta HOUtos.
examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
c. 17:12 BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS BELIEVE
polLOI men oun ex auTON ePIsteu-san;
Many of them therefore believed;
kai ton Hel-leNIdon gu-naiKON ton eu-scheMOnon [2158], kai anDRON, ouk oLIgoi.
also of the Greek :honorable women, and of men, not a few.
d. 17:13 THESSALONIAN JEWS WON'T LET THIS GO UNCHALLENGED
hos de EGno-san hoi aPO tes Thes-sa-loNIkes IouDAIoi
But when the Jews of :Thessalonica had knowledge
HOti kai en teBeROIa ka-tegGEle[2605]huPO tou PAUlou ho LOgos tou TheOU,
that the word of :God was proclaimed by :Paul at :Berea also,
ELthon ka' 'KEI, saLEUon-tes [4531]kai taRASson-tes [5015]tous OCHlous.
they came there also, stirring up and troubling the crowds.
e. 17:14 PAUL SENT AWAY FOR SAFETY
euTHEos de TOte ton PAUlon e-xaPEstei-lan hoi a-delPHOI poREUes-thai HEos ePI ten THAlas-san:
And then immediately the brethren sent forth :Paul to go as far as to the sea:
huPEmeiNAN [5278] te HO te SIlas kai ho TiMOthe-os eKEI.
and both :Silas and :Timothy abode there still.
f. 17:15 PAUL NOW AT ATHENS ALONE
hoi de ka-thiSTAnon-tes [2525] ton PAUlon Ega-gon HEos A-theNON:
But they that conducted :Paul brought him as far as Athens:
kai laBONtes en-toLEN [1785]pros ton SIlan kai TiMOthe-on
and receiving a commandment unto :Silas and :Timothy
HIna hos TAchi-sta [5033]ELthosin pros auTON, eXEe-san.
that they come unto him with all speed, they departed.
NOTE: 17:1-3 - Charles G. Finney followed Paul's method of reasoning from the Word. As an attorney, he knew how to prepare a “brief” - and present it so convincingly with valid argument and illustration, that judge and juries were giving him up to 90% favorable verdicts. Thishe transferred to preaching the Gospel, with such effect, that 2 years after conversion, such converts up to 80% were stillconsistently following the Lord!
This type of preaching produces real conviction of sin- not just sins we have committed - but that we are essentially sinners by nature, from what we inherited from Adam! Our wills are notfully yielded to Jesus as Lord - we do our ownthing - not the things of the Lord. To see Jesus as both Lord and Messiah from Scripture, produces this result, and then opens us to true conversion and reception of the giftof the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the sign of our identification with Jesus in His death. We are buriedwith him in baptism - not just washed!
17:5 - But - every success in the Gospel - immediately is allowed to be tested by our Lord. The disbelieving Jews followed Paul from city to city, raising up persecution and trouble. Once saved, we are notcarried to Heaven on flowery beds of ease! Through muchpersecution we enter the Kingdom of God! The Bible says so! Billy Graham preached this.
17:6 - See the testimony of Jewish persecutors: Paul and Silas and their team are those that have turned the world upside down! What a testimony from our enemies! Is thisthe testimony the church receives today? We are too much like the Laodiceans! There is a faithful remnant, but it is small.
17:11. What a testimony Luke gives the Bereans, as a decided contrast over against the Thessalonians! Paul too commended them for not taking his presentation at face value - but rather going to the Bible, and diligently searching it out to see if the two were consistent! It is not the preacher's opinion that is important - but - does it line upwith the Word of God! “To the law (Torah, teaching) and the testimony - if they speak not according to thisword - it is because there is no true light in them!” - Isaiah 8:20.
Jesus said, “When they persecute you in one city - flee to the next!”this is what Paul did when the Thessalonian Jews followed him to Berea and raised up persecution. He fled to Athens, and then on to Corinth, where there was greatfruit of the Gospel. J.A.W.